


Up In My Zone

by Arakano



Category: PRISTIN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, F/F, Minkyung in a tie is my aesthetic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2018-10-26 05:00:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10780077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arakano/pseuds/Arakano
Summary: AU. In which Minkyung discovers that not all chaebol are born alike.





	1. Chapter 1

_0\. Everything Starts Somewhere_

* * *

Minkyung brushes at the invisible lint on her tie, take in a deep breath. This might not be her first rodeo, having done numerous smaller short-term assignments guarding visiting celebrities, but it is her first _big_ rodeo, her first assignment that does not have a projected end date.

Admittedly, the Zhou Family is not well known in Korea and this assignment should be ‘relatively sane and free of the usual other-family drama’, to quote her superior, but chaebol have always made her slightly nervous. She blames watching too many of those dramas in high school but still cannot shake the image of a spoiled brat demanding the unreasonable at five in the morning and her actually having to do it.

She has the code to enter the apartment on her own and yes, Miss Zhou is expecting her, but there is a difference between knocking the door and just appearing in the living room.

She hits the doorbell, looks up into the security camera, expects the intercom to buzz on and a groggy voice to say something along the lines of “It’s 7 in the morning go away”.

Instead the door swings open.

Zhou Jieqiong stands before her, hair half up in a messy bun, glasses halfway down her nose, a toothbrush in her mouth, toothpaste threatening to dribble out.

“Yes? How can I help you?”

Minkyung blinks - had this individual worth several hundreds of millions of dollars just casually swung the door open with no regard for her own safety - then gathers herself and bows, “Nice to meet you, Miss Zhou. My name is Roa and I am your new bodyguard.”

She watches as the toothbrush stops moving and eyes do a quick once-over of her.

“Oh,” Zhou Jieqiong says, “right. Do you have your stuff with you?”

Minkyung hefts her duffle bag a little higher up her shoulder.

“This way,” she steps back into the living room, “your room is in the back.”

Minkyung is not sure what she expected, either like a tornado whipped through the room like most of the other celebrities she has worked with, or something spotless like those evil lairs of super rich people she’s seen (again in dramas), but the apartment just looks lived in.

Two blankets on the couch, a sweatshirt draped haphazardly over the back of a dining room chair, a half-finished bottle of water and a small stack of letters and junk mail on the table.

“You’re in here,” Jieqiong gestures to a bedroom, shifts the toothbrush again, “I have class in half an hour but I’ll be back in three hours for lunch so make yourself comfortable till then?”

Minkyung blinks but the other girl has already disappeared back into the bathroom. The room is sparsely decorated, not much more than a small bed in a corner, a tiny desk, chair and a light. She supposes she is grateful that she does not have to sleep on the floor or the couch outside.

“Oh right,” a voice says from the bathroom, “Right, you’re my bodyguard so I guess you’re coming with me to school?”

A much more put-together Zhou Jieqiong pokes her head into the room, definitely gives her another once-over, pauses, grins and says, “I like the tie.”


	2. Chapter 2

_1\. The First Stone_

* * *

It takes Minkyung all of two hours to realize that the two main threats to Zhou Jieqiong are one, boys, and two, Miss Zhou herself.

The chauffeur drops them off at the entrance to the university and from the very moment they step out of the car she can feel the gazes on the both of them, feels the eyes flick from her over to her charge then stick and stay. She cannot hear the hushed whisper but she reads the lips that part and senses the change in the air.

Then Miss Zhou reaches back and tugs at her hand.

“We’re going to be late, Roa-unnie. Hurry up.”

“That is hardly professional-”

“-Late. I don’t want to be late. Or do you want me to just call you unnie instead?”

Minkyung licks her dry lips, feels the eyes turn to her.

“Roa-unnie is fine.”

* * *

They find their seats in the middle just before the class starts and she watches Zhou Jieqiong dig through her tote bag and pull out a bunny pencil case with pink fluffy ears that she swears she saw on sale last week at the stationery shop at the train station. Minkyung makes a mental note to ask if the chauffeur got that for her or if she is now going to have to end up trailing behind Zhou Jieqiong in a whole bunch of potentially unsafe places. She highly suspects it is the latter.

One of Jieqiong’s friends (she supposes they are a friend from the way they immediately sit next to her) leans over, beams at her, “The name’s Eunwoo. Nice to meet you.”

Minkyung nods, “I’m Roa and I am Miss-”

A hand flies to her wrist, “-friend,” Zhou Jieqiong laughs nervously, “Roa-unnie is my friend.”

Minkyung adds another thing to the list of things to discuss.

Eunwoo looks like she wants to ask more questions but the professor starts talking.

Minkyung surveys the room and finds nothing of interest beyond the occasional wandering gaze, thinks back to the car ride where Zhou Jieqiong had promptly called shotgun and proceeded to sit there, barely a care in the world.

Shotgun is not safe. Stopping halfway to dash out to the convenience store, leaving one’s chauffeur and bodyguard in the car without any prior warning is also definitely not safe.

She supposes she has her work cut out for her.

* * *

“I'd love to chat but I kind of have to run, my part time job starts in half an hour and it's going to take me fifteen minutes to get there and I really can't be late today. I'll be back in three hours, just chill here with Eunwoo?”

Minkyung blinks.

Part time job what-

Eunwoo looks up from her homework, a look of utter devastation on her face, “I don't understand this at all. Can you help me?”

She pouts at Minkyung and latches onto her arm.

Jieqiong’s laugh follows her out the room.

Minkyung stands immediately, grabs her bag and rushes for the door.

“I'll explain later,” she says to Eunwoo's mournful abandoned-puppy look.

* * *

“You can't just run off like this,” Minkyung hisses as she grabs Jieqiong by the elbow, “this is risky.”

Jieqiong frowns but does not stop walking, “Risky? I've been working at the library for a year now - the closest I've come to danger is that one time I almost brought a shelf down on the head librarian and she damn near threatened to kill me.”

“You know that's not what I mean.”

Jieqiong purses her lips, “Maybe I do, but I don't see why anything would happen. We don't do anything. There's nothing anyone gains from coming after me.”

Minkyung averts her eyes, wants to say besides the fact that you're worth tons of money, but decides better of it.

“It's my job to keep your safe,” she says instead, “and I know you want me to interfere as little as possible but I need to know more of what I'm dealing with, so you can't just go running off like this.”

Jieqiong huffs, “Like I said, it's just the library on the other side of campus, it's really not a big deal. It's quite literally the most boring place ever.”

“And I don't have to get in your way,” Minkyung shrugs, “I just need to know where you are.”

Jieqiong sighs, “Alright.”

* * *

She is right.

This is quite literally the most boring place ever.

Or well, it would be if Minkyung were able to tune out the senses that there are at least three boys in the library who came in in the last five minutes who clearly have zero interest in studying.

Boys.

She watches Jieqiong beam up at each student who checks a book out, watches her chew on the back of her pen cap in frustration presumably with the old computer system, sees her run her fingers through her hair, twiddle a pen in her hand, struggle to open markers.

Another student librarian, tall and lanky with short cropped hair helps her with it, obscuring Jieqiong from view.

She catches herself from going ‘tch’ aloud then catches the eye of another female student whose eyes flick between her and Jieqiong.

Minkyung supposes she has probably also been pretty obviously staring, though in her defense, this is her job.

She should probably be less obvious about it in future.

* * *

“See,” Jieqiong whispers as she packs her things and Minkyung sidles up to the counter, “told you nothing would happen.”

“Nothing ever happens in the library,” the other librarian shrugs, holds out a hand, “I'm Kyungwon.”

“Roa,” Minkyung says, “Nice to meet you.”

Jieqiong looks down at her desk, then leaps up with a start, “Gotta go put this in the archives real quick. I'll be right back, unnie.”

Minkyung opens her mouth, wants to say, “Wait up” or “No” or “What?!” but notices Kyungwon looking at her with a serious glance.

Jieqiong disappears in the back. Minkyung seriously debates vaulting the counter and running after her.

“She'll be right back,” Kyungwon says, “The archives are just next door.”

Next door meaning the next room or next building?

“Right,” Minkyung says, tries not to panic or imagine her entire career going up in smoke because one Zhou Jieqiong somehow manages to get killed or worse, kidnapped going between the library and the archives.

“So how long have you liked her?”

Minkyung thinks about where her car is and how fast she can get to it and to the airport if necessary because China-

“I-I’m sorry, what?”

“She might not have noticed, but you were totally staring at her the entire time.”

“It's not like that,” Minkyung says.

Maybe the airport will not be necessary. They do have other agents in the country. She would just have to phone in for help, which would be suicide for her career but hey, at least no one would be dead. Or taken to Hong Kong and then killed-

“Uh huh,” Kyungwon says, “Whatever you say. Just know that she's dumb as a brick when it comes to these things. Or well, just overall dumb as a brick, so you're going to need to spell it out to her. This idiot doesn't get that those boys come to the library every week just to see her. She's not going to understand hints.”

“Oh it's definitely nothing of that sort,” Minkyung says, shifts the weight of her bag onto the other shoulder, eyes Kyungwon to see if she's going to need to just push past her or if she will actually have to throw her.

“What's nothing?” Jieqiong appears again, dusts her hands on her sweater, leaves small dusty fingerprints on the navy surface.

“Nothing,” Kyungwon wiggles her eyebrows.

Jieqiong pouts.

Minkyung thinks she might have heard a boy in the background walk into a bookshelf.

Kyungwon just pats Jieqiong on the head, “Shoo.”

Jieqiong pouts harder, whines and this time Minkyung is sure that the splash of an overturned drink is not her imagination.

“Eunwoo's waiting,” she says, sighs, picks up Jieqiong’s bag and starts walking out the door.

“H-Hey!”

* * *

“Same stop?”

Minkyung nods, still carrying Jieqiong’s bag. She has discovered that this is a very effective way to stop Jieqiong from running off. A very childish way, but nonetheless very effective. (She is not sure if it is childish on her part or on Jieqiong’s, but if it works it works and she will not question it.)

“We live in the same apartment complex,” Jieqiong says smoothly, “that's how I got to know her.”

“Ah,” Eunwoo says, “Cool. Well, this next stop is me. I'll see you later then?”

Minkyung smiles. Jieqiong rolls her eyes.

“It's been nice meeting you, Roa-unnie! Thanks for the statistics help! You're the best, unlike someone.”

Jieqiong sticks her tongue out. Eunwoo reciprocates and they both giggle. Eunwoo waves at them until she is out of sight and Minkyung does not need to turn to know that Jieqiong is waving frantically too.

“Eunwoo,” Minkyung says.

Jieqiong looks up from her phone, “yes?”

“She’s a friend?”

“Eunwoo is my best friend,” Jieqiong says, “now can I have my bag back?”

Minkyung shrugs, “I can hold it for you.”

“I’m not going to run off. Besides, you have the house keys.”

Minkyung hands the bag over. Jieqiong does not run.

* * *

“I'm going to a house party tonight,” Jieqiong says two hours later while Minkyung has her head in a cupboard, “Kyungwon's gonna pick me up in about an hour.”

Minkyung pulls her head out of the cupboard.

Jieqiong sighs, “I suppose you're coming?”

Minkyung nods.

“Well, dress up then. They won't let you in otherwise.”

Minkyung sighs. Jieqiong glares at her. Minkyung sighs again.

* * *

A house party. Minkyung cannot believe she is at a house party. Of all the things she thought she would be done with after college, after two stints of guarding pompous annoying rich people, she never thought she would have to be at a house party.

Scratch that, an apartment party. Albeit a very nice, fairly large penthouse apartment, but an apartment nonetheless.

“Jiong-jiong!”

A girl descend upon Jieqiong, squishing her cheeks, arms around her waist and shoulder. Jieqiong laughs easily and nudges her back, the two whispering rapidly in Chinese. Kyungwon has already ducked into the house, leaving her standing behind alone.

Then the host notices her, gives her a very obvious once-over and it clicks.

*Oh this is my bodyguard,” Jieqiong says.

Minkyung nods at the young mistress of the Cheng family.

“Pleased to meet you,” Cheng Xiao says, “thank you for taking this one under your wing. She's a pain but she's worth it.”

“Yah!”

“Kyulkyung! Get your ass over here we're doing shots!”

Cheng Xiao snickers, releases Jieqiong, and Minkyung follows dutifully.

“Roa-unnie!”

“Hey Eunwoo,” Minkyung smiles, turns to find a shot glass inches from her nose, “oh no, I don't drink.”

The smaller stranger pouts at her but then puts the drink down, “Fine. Be that way. But you’ll at least-”

“What did we say about pressuring other people to drink, Yaebin?”

Yaebin sighs, “I wasn't really pressuring her, unnie.”

“Nayoung,” says the girl who caught Minkyung staring in the library, holds out a hand, “You must be Roa. Eunwoo has said a lot about you.”

Minkyung demures, “I hope they've mostly been good things.”

Nayoung nods.

“That's good to hear.”

Nayoung does not break her gaze and Minkyung has never found a need to be the first to look away, instead studying the corners of Nayoung's face, the way Nayoung's eyes read her own face - Minkyung’s grin widens. Jieqiong keeps interesting friends. This might even be fun.

“Roa-unnie, do you want anything from the fridge?” Cheng Xiao hollers from the kitchen.

“I'll grab something myself,” she says, tears her eyes away and turns.

“Suit yourself,” the other says, saunters over, meets her halfway, rests a hand on Minkyung’s shoulder, lips close to Minkyung’s ear, “I see Nayoung-unnie's met you.”

“Mm,” Minkyung says.

Cheng Xiao giggles, “This is going to be interesting. Pro-tip, Jieqiong always gets drunk at parties like this but at least she’s lighter than she looks.”

Minkyung nods, sighs inwardly.

* * *

“Yah,” Eunwoo shoves Jieqiong off of her lap onto the floor, “You're heavy! Get off~”

Jieqiong pouts, “But you're warm, Nunuuu! And the floor is cooold.”

Minkyung chuckles beside herself, checks the time and remembers that there is a morning class on their schedule, “Alright, it's time to go home, sport.”

“You're not my muum,” Jieqiong whines, stretching out the vowel sounds, “I'm my own boss I don't need-”

Minkyung shrugs, “You have a 9am class.”

Jieqiong groans into her hands, “Fiiiine~”

“I can-”

“Oh it's no worry at all,” Minkyung puts on her broadest smile, “I have keys. C’mon, up you get, you big baby. Let's go say bye to Xiao.”

“Am not a baby-”

Minkyung watches her struggle to stand, raises her eyebrows, then reaches a hand out and tugs her to her feet.

“Whatever you say,” she rolls her eyes, props Jieqiong on a shoulder and walks them both to the door, well aware of the eyes following their every movement.

Cheng Xiao opens the door for them with a broad but sly grin.

“Good job back there. Thanks. You're a sharp one.”

Minkyung rebalances Jieqiong on her shoulder, “I have to be.”

Xiao giggles, holds out a hand, “It's been a pleasure.”

Minkyung inclines her head, “Likewise.”

* * *

Minkyung debates a fireman's carry but decides that she wants to not be hated or, more importantly, puked on.

“Get on,” she says, squats down and holds her hands out behind her.

Jieqiong splats herself onto Minkyung’s back, reaches a hand out to play with her hair.

“-nice-,” Jieqiong giggles, twirls some around a finger.

“Sorry, what?”

“You have nice hair,” Jieqiong mumbles into her ear.

Minkyung sighs, stands up and hefts Jieqiong up with her. Jieqiong squeaks, hands closing around her neck for balance.

Minkyung decides not to tell Jieqiong to stop squeezing her neck since she can still breathe so any change is not strictly necessary.

“Whoa,” Jieqiong says, “you're tall.”

Minkyung snorts, makes sure to not drop her charge on the floor. That would be awkward to explain.

* * *

Something beeps. Minkyung rolls over. It vibrates and beeps again and she sits straight up.

The room is dark around her broken by a soft nightlight and a single ray of moonlight filtering through the gap in the curtains. She reaches for her phone.

_They're moving._

She gets out of bed and gets ready.

**Author's Note:**

> My first AU. Be kind? The next few chapters will be longer. This is just a short preview. :P


End file.
